The Narrow Margin (1952)

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Earl Felton (screenplay)
Martin Goldsmith (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 May 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

'THAT BULLET'S MEANT FOR ME!" - Suspense every speeding second aboard a stream-lined limited...as syndicate killers seek to find and silence mystery woman headed for the Grand Jury!

Plot:

A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against their assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Partner | Search | Police Badge | Transportation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Charles McGraw	...	Det. Sgt. Walter Brown
Marie Windsor	...	Mrs. Frankie Neall
Jacqueline White	...	Ann Sinclair
Gordon Gebert	...	Tommy Sinclair
Queenie Leonard	...	Mrs. Troll
David Clarke	...	Joseph Kemp
Peter Virgo	...	Densel
Don Beddoe	...	Det. Sgt. Gus Forbes
Paul Maxey	...	Sam Jennings
Harry Harvey	...	Train conductor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Brocco	...	Vincent Yost (uncredited)
Ivan Browning	...	Waiter (uncredited)
George Chandler	...	Newsstand Proprietor / Accomplice (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Tenant in Apartment House Hallway (uncredited)
Don Dillaway	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Club Car Extra (uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Det. Wilson (uncredited)
Clarence Hargrave	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Bobby Johnson	...	Redcap (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Tenant (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Johnny Lee	...	Waiter (uncredited)
William A. Lee	...	Newsstand owner (uncredited)
Walter Merrill	...	Officer Allen (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell	...	Train conductor (uncredited)
Edgar Murray	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Franklin Parker	...	Telegraph attendant (uncredited)
George Sawaya	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Club Car Extra (uncredited)
Jasper Weldon	...	Porter (uncredited)
Napoleon Whiting	...	Redcap (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Fleischer

Writing credits
Earl Felton		(screenplay)
Martin Goldsmith		(story) and
Jack Leonard		(story)

Produced by
Stanley Rubin	....	producer

Cinematography by
George E. Diskant		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino
Jack Okey

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera
William Stevens

Costume Design by
Adele Balkan		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Dorfman	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Clem Portman	....	sound
Francis M. Sarver	....	sound (as Francis Sarver)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Turner Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Target (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #14631)

Filming Locations:

Santa Fe Railroad Depot - 1170 W. 3rd Street, San Bernardino, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Filmed in 1950, not released until 1952. According to director Richard Fleischer, when the film was finished RKO Pictures owner Howard Hughes heard good things about it and ordered that a copy of it be delivered to him so he could screen it in his private projection room. The film stayed in the projection room for more than a year, apparently because the eccentric Hughes forgot about it.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the character of nine year old Tommy Sinclair (Gordon Gerbert) first appears, his traveling nurse clearly calls him "Tony". For the rest of the film he's called "Tommy", the character's official name.

Quotes:

Mrs. Neall: That hood wasn't looking at her big blue eyes. He thinks that's me, and I think that's dandy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kindergarten Cop (1990)

Great camera work. Sensational Marie Windsor. Implausible story, though.

"The narrow margin" is a remarkable film-noir with great merits, unfortunately marred by an implausible story.

There is a policeman (Charles McGraw) committed to protect a key witness (Marie Windsor), in severe danger of life, along a train journey. The only reasonable and likely behavior for the cop is to take some sandwiches, lock in the cabin with the witness, and sit down with a machine-gun on his lap. Of course, that would be the end of the film. So, to get a story, McGraw goes everywhere and does everything on the train, but staying with and protecting the witness. There is also a big surprise at the end. That is really unexpected. But if we think back to the previous events, this big twist makes the behavior of some characters wholly illogical.

Well, enough with the faults of the movie. The merits of this low-budgeted B-movie overcome its defects. The stylish cinematography is first-rate, and the camera-work is outstanding. The (few) action scenes are brilliant and filmed in a very original way. See, for instance the play of mirrors in the finale. Marie Windsor is sensational, and every scene with her is a treat. What a gangster moll, gutsy tough gal she is! In my opinion, she is even better here than in "The killing". Her lines are a perfect instance of cynical wisecracking. McGraw and the rest of the cast make a good job, as well. There is a good amount of suspense and no moments of bore.

Let me conclude with a somehow daring comparison. Independently by the composers, classic music of the 18th century is always beautiful. In a similar way, I think that American movies of the 1940s and early 1950s are all good: that is just a question of style, and how I love this style!

I recommend "The narrow margin", for its intrinsic merits, and to pay homage to a great season of cinema.